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A business deal virtually about reality

Mark Zuckerberg sat at his desk. Choosing the best pictures to upload to his Facebook profile that makes him look like a pretty cool guy. Since it’s inception, the social media website has been a carefully meticulous ploy to boost his own self esteem.

Nobody would have suspected that Facebook got as big as it did. Yet, nobody would have suspect millions of people to willingly be depressed in front of their electronic devices for the rest of their lives as well. He’s made piles of money from his investors taking data from millions of personal lives, and he’s had more than he’s ever wanted.

But he knew it wasn’t enough.

It’s not like he felt threatened by Google glass or anything. Compared to Facebook, Google is actually incredibly out of touch with the outside world. They like to keep all of their employees confined to pens, comparing their office space as a utopian society of dreamers.

So why would he ever get jealous of a technology that stays focused on the corner of your eye, really manipulating the default of your attention as you trek from your day to day. He’s not the only one that thinks wearers of the glass look like assholes.

“…Or Glassholes, really.” he said out-loud. Nobody was around to hear it.

But why obstruct only part of your eyeball, when you can just cover your reality completely? If we were going to be competitive on how we distract our customers, surely one must have the application that takes full use of your senses rather than a speck.

Since it’s development, Mark has become increasingly interested in the Oculus Rift. Even though Virtual Reality has always sounded incredibly wonderful as a gaming platform, he’s been brainstorming ways for it to be more than that. After all Mark is in the business of being social.

Since older people have been signing up to Facebook, a lot of the younger demographic that made his business so lucrative, have been dropping off the service and finding other ways of being social. Even if Mark has enough money to buy and import exotic animals so he can kill and eat them with his own hands, he can never have too much. But in order to get more money, you have to stay relevant.

Relevance is not something Mark has had to worry about for the longest time. So that’s why he bought the Virtual Reality technology for $2 Billion. I mean really if you think about it, this is so much better than Google glass. It fits comfortably on your head (in theory), and it’s probably 100% more durable as well. I mean, if you want to talk flaws, then the only thing that it doesn’t have is portability… But that’s such a small price to pay. Plus, with the amount of stories where people are having a problem with ineptitude and their mobile devices, It’s a much safer route if use was strictly indoors.

But then he suddenly had this moment of doubting himself, when one of his facebook friends posted a link to a thread on Reddit about the news.

Hoards of users discussing their distaste towards the business venture. All in disbelief that the Oculus team would let something like this happen. Hating Facebook for everything they stand for, demanding their kickstarter money back, threatening whatever action they could think up on the spot. What he was witnessing, was an emotion he was all too familiar with.

Nobody trusts Facebook. He’s come to understand that in the past years, however many it’s been. Their entire business model is made to lead you on a wild goose chase after all. Sometimes he misses his friends, his business partners. It still bums him out that, in order to be successful you have to be hated.

Even though he knows it’s not true. He’s just made a series of bad decisions in the process of becoming a businessman, but it doesn’t mean it’s stopped hurting.

He turned off his computer and put on his coat. The only thing he felt is the desire to go home.

Throughout the rest of the Facebook offices, employees were in a partying mood. Celebrating the acquisition of technology they had no real intention of using. Some definitely felt the excitement of ‘the company now owning something they’ve already intended to buy for themselves’, and kept talking about all the games they would play on one of those things.

Others, while talkative and happy, were secretly afraid of what Facebook owning Oculus Rift now means. When Mark made the announcement to the entire office today, a part of him noticed that everybody felt that way.

“It’s weird, I know…” Spoke Mark again, but a little quieter and to himself as he was passing through the crowds. Often when Mark has a lot on his mind he has a tendency to think out-loud, and he gets equally self conscious about it. He’s definitely aware he does it, so he’s developed a tendency to have a much softer voice in public.

When he got to his car and started making the drive home. He turned the radio on to help get his mind off the negativity.

I know this pain/Why do lock yourself up in these chains?
No one can change your life except for you/Don’t ever let anyone step all over you.

He recognized the song as Hold On, a once popular jam by Wilson Phillips. He became astounded by the sudden significance of a song playing that felt appropriate to the situation. Not since that one time Our Lady Peace was playing, has a song managed to come up and be significant.

His confidence came back as he was singing along. “Things’ll go your way, if you hoooold on for one more dayyy.”

Then it hit him. That’s the answer.

Everybody goes through the motions when they first hear news, no matter what kind it is. Especially Reddit, being so prone to knee-jerking and having a high opinion about the dumbest stuff. He knows he shouldn’t let it get to him, because the next day they’re going to complain about something else.

If he just gave it time… If everybody gave it time. Then they’d all be quick to forget that the purchase took place and he’ll be free to slowly do whatever he wants to it.